Jellicle Cats stay here Tonight
by Sirius Blaak
Summary: Old Deuteronomy has kept the rumored 'Jellicle Secret' to himself ever since he took up the post of leader.  Now, however, he must disclose this secret in order to keep the cats safe.  But how will our furry friends react when Old D drops the bomb?
1. History

_This story is an idea I've been toying with for a while. I would very much appreciate feedback, both good and bad, so I know whether or not to continue it. Right now I'm leaning towards yes, but if this idea completely sucks, please let me know._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the cats that appear in either T. S. Eliot's book or ALW's musical. If their name isn't familiar, I probably made them up, kay?_

* * *

Old Deuteronomy had never told anyone the secret about the Jellicle cats. He had never breathed a word of it, ever since his predecessor as Jellicle leader had whispered it into his ear. All nine of his deceased wives had been buried, never knowing their beloved tom was hiding something from them. 

But now, he feared, he would have to tell them all.

You see, in the beginning, when the Jellicle cats had just started meeting at the junkyard, they were led by an ancient queen named Naomi. This queen had been stunning in her youth, charming many toms and giving birth to numerous litters, but at the first Jellicle meeting she was hunchbacked, her ankles swollen from arthritis.

Why, then, did the Jellicles elect her their first leader?

Because she knew their secret. Everyone had always known that Naomi carried something with her, a hidden knowledge that she never spoke of to anyone. Even at this time, there were rumors flying from cat to cat, all about Naomi and the wisdom she supposedly kept. Each of the Jellicles hoped that, when pronounced their leader, Naomi would share this wisdom with them all.

This hope came and went, as Naomi slipped away and one of her sons, Zirak, replaced her as leader.

Zirak was an outgoing and flirtatious tom, much like our present day Rum Tum Tugger. He was considered very good looking by most of the queens, and his mother often referred to him as, 'My handsome kit.' In his youth, he enjoyed basking in the glory his looks gave him, and even fathered his first litter when he was still quite young.

However, his attitude changed dramatically after his mother's death. The other cats assumed he was mourning his loss and trying to adjust to his new responsibility as leader, but his mate, Drina, knew the truth.

Drina knew that his dying mother had finally let her wisdom, referred to as, 'the Jellicle secret,' pass on to another. She had told her son this secret, and he had told no one, not even Drina. Although she asked him many times, knowing that it was not just his mother's death that was creating the weight in his stomach, he never shared the details with her.

New whispers soon joined the old, and many tried to ask Zirak what his mother had said as she died. Zirak denied being told anything, but the rumors persisted.

Countless years later, it was Zirak's time to pass on. He chose his youngest son, Deuteronomy, as his successor.

Deuteronomy had always been the most refined of Zirak's offspring, many of the others having inherited their father's long-gone flirtatious side. 'Little D,' as the other Jellicles called him, had preferred to sit and chat with the older cats and watch his brothers and sisters charm the others rather than join them. Many of the cats considered Zirak's decision to be a wise one.

Zirak's oldest son, however, did not see this. He had grown up believing that he would become the next Jellicle leader, and took Little D's promotion as a personal blow. Several of Little D's other siblings seemed to share this view, and it was not very long before they broke away from the rest of the tribe.

This came as a huge blow to Little D. Barely out of his kittenhood, he had already become the Jellicle the others looked to for wisdom and half of his siblings had deserted him out of envy. With all this to worry him, he barely had time to worry about the 'Jellicle secret,' which his father had confided in him.

The other cats seemed to forget all about the rumored secret. They were more preoccupied with Little D's missing siblings, for many of them were friends. Although they missed their companions, they had been fiercely loyal to Zirak, and so pledged their loyalty to his chosen successor.

Little D grew up to live a long, full life. He fathered many litters, and watched his Jellicle tribe grow. Soon everyone forgot all about the 'Jellicle secret,' though occasionally the older cats would bring it up when they were not occupied with watching the kittens. Little D shed his nickname and became 'Deuteronomy' again. Even later, some of the youngest kittens fondly nicknamed him, 'Old Deuteronomy,' a name he has kept since.

And now we have come full-circle, back to the beginning.

On this particular night, Old Deuteronomy was pacing the junkyard anxiously, looking up at the near-full moon at regular intervals. The other cats had all retreated to their humans' homes or their cardboard boxes, or wherever it was they lived. There was anticipation in the air, however, for the next night the moon would be full, marking another Jellicle meeting.

Now, these meetings were not all Jellicle Balls, oh no. The Jellicle Ball happened only once every year, but it had long since been a tradition for the cats to meet at every full moon, regardless. None of them knew how or why this tradition had started, they just accepted it.

But now Old Deuteronomy was worried. Every Jellicle attended the Jellicle Ball, but more and more cats had started missing their monthly meetings. When Old D asked them why, they always replied, "I had other things to do."

But Old Deuteronomy had to stop these "other things" getting in the way of their monthly meetings. There was a reason for these meetings, you see, and that is the Jellicle Secret.

Old D had gone over his predicament hundreds of times, each time trying to think of a new way to make sure every cat was present at every meeting. He had the authority to make the meetings mandatory, but no cat likes being told what to do and being given no explanation. He could make up a story, but no, one of them would surely be able to tell he was lying.

In the end, he decided that honesty really was the best policy. After all, his father had never told him to keep the Jellicle Secret from anyone, it had just been an accepted fact that the Jellicle leader knew something the others did not. His father had warned him to 'protect the secret well,' but Old Deuteronomy had faith in every single Jellicle, and could see none of them spouting off the secret to unfriendly cats.

No, what Old Deuteronomy was worried about was the reception. This secret was not a very pleasant one. Sure, it had become rather obvious to him once he had been enlightened, but to the other cats who remained oblivious, it was near impossible to discern. To other creatures – Pollicle dogs and humans, for example – the Jellicle Secret was no secret. The difference could hardly be missed.

And it was this difference that Old D was going to tell all the cats about the next day. He had sent out messages to all the Jellicles he could find, making sure they all knew that he had something important to tell them all. He had asked them to pass along the message to their friends, in hopes that the next night's meeting would be as well attended as the Jellicle Ball.

Even with the reassurances of every cat that they would attend and pass the word along, Old D still fell asleep with worry in the pit of his stomach. Trying to push unpleasant thoughts out of his mind, he curled up into the smallest ball his old bones would permit him and snuggled against the side of the famous junkyard tire. Although the night was clear and filled with comforting sounds, it was almost an hour before the Jellicle leader finally nodded off.

* * *

Old Deuteronomy woke the next day to a soft mewing sound next to his ear. Blinking slowly, he looked up into the furry face of Munkustrap. 

"Hello, Munkustrap," Old Deuteronomy lifted himself into the sitting position, trying and failing to stifle a huge yawn.

"Good morning, Jellicle Leader," Munkustrap said formally, bowing his head. Old Deuteronomy's whiskers twitched as he smiled. Munkustrap was his eldest son, and always treated him with respect. Old Deuteronomy would have preferred a closer family life, but Munkustrap refused point blank to call him 'Dad.'

"What would the other Jellicles think?" his son had asked, a low growl coming from his throat. "And Macavity… What if Macavity found out? Can you imagine what he would do with that knowledge?"

Old D had already started a list of things he wanted Munkustrap to do before he passed on, and one was to hear the name, 'Dad,' or 'Father,' pass from his son's lips. This comforted him as he watched his son, his head still bowed.

"You are allowed to look up, you know," Old D chuckled.

"Thank you," Munkustrap lifted his head to look his father in the eye. Old Deuteronomy could see a twinkle not unlike his own there.

"Can you confide in me as to the importance of tonight's announcement?" Munkustrap asked, now looking away from Old D's eyes to study his own furry paws.

"Please, Munk, stop being so formal," Old D requested exasperatedly, calling his son by the nickname very few knew about. "And yes, I can tell you how important it is. It is absolutely imperative that every Jellicle be in the junkyard tonight."

"Good, because that's how I made it sound when I passed the message on," Munkustrap straightened up proudly, choosing to ignore the nickname his father had used.

"Thank you, Munk," Old D rubbed his head against his son's front leg in affection. He felt Munkustrap stiffen, no doubt from shock, as he did so.

"I wish you wouldn't call me that," Munkustrap said as Old D drew away from him. "You know I hate that nickname."

"Should I call you 'Munky' instead?" Old D laughed, and thought he saw Munkustrap's whiskers twitch. "I'm sure Tugster would get a kick out of that one." Munkustrap's mouth turned into a smile as he heard his brother's childhood nickname.

"'Munk,' is fine, then," Munkustrap muttered, sounding resigned.

The two cats wiled away the hours leading up to the meeting by patrolling the junkyard in turn, looking out for any Jellicles who might turn up early. Old Deuteronomy persuaded 'Munky' to join him in a late afternoon nap, using the argument that, "You'll be up all night and you need to rest." Munkustrap grudgingly allowed himself to settle down beside Old D in a ray of sunlight, and soon he was curled up in a tight ball, snoring.

Finally, around dinnertime, the first cats began to appear. Jennyanydots and Jellylorum, never ones to be late, were the first to appear. Jemima, Victoria, Etcetera, and Electra soon followed. A few of the older toms appeared next, Alonzo trailing behind them with Cassandra.

Mistoffelees turned up next, and immediately bounded over to Old Deuteronomy to greet him. Old D was very fond of the young tom, as were most of the other older cats. The little black and white cat leapt right into Old D's paws, nuzzling him with his fuzzy head. Sometimes Old D wished Munkustrap was as open about his feelings as Mistoffelees.

Demeter and Bombalurina followed Mistoffelees, and Old Deuteronomy looked sideways at his son as Munkustrap awkwardly greeted Demeter. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Skimbleshanks, Asparagus, and Mistoffelees chuckling about this very thing.

Just as the sun sank below the horizon, Pouncival, Tumblebrutus, Plato, Rumpleteazer, and Mungojerrie arrived. Bustopher Jones arrived a few seconds after. At his appearance, Mistoffelees shouted, "Uncle BJ!" and leapt excitedly around the large cat. Old Deuteronomy looked around; all were present except another one of his sons, Rum Tum Tugger.

_'I should have figured as much,'_ Old D thought, his whiskers twitching. 'Tugster' was never one to be early or on time.

Old Deuteronomy looked up at the night sky, searching for the moon. After a few seconds it appeared from the horizon, popping up much like the sun had done, except in reverse.

Old D's eyes turned to his fellow cats. As he watched, they all seemed to swell. Their limbs lengthened, and their frames thinned. The junkyard seemed to expand as well, enveloping more of the sky as the piles of junk rocketed upward. Old Deuteronomy seemed to be the only one to notice this change, for the rest of the cats continued to purr, oblivious to the change in their anatomy and their beloved junkyard.

"He's late again," Munkustrap was at Old Deuteronomy's shoulder again, and it was he who had whispered this into the leader's ear. As Old D turned to look at his son, he caught a glimpse of Demeter, who was gazing over at Munkustrap.

"And you expected different?" Old D chuckled. "Don't worry, Munk, it's fine." Munkustrap stiffened at the sound of his nickname and looked wildly around, but no other cats had heard.

A few tense minutes passed, and Old Deuteronomy could sense the anticipation in the purring that filled the air. Many of the cats were casting sideways glances at him, but hastily turning away as his eyes fell on them. His eyes lingered for a minute on Mistoffelees, who had settled himself comfortably between Skimbleshanks and his 'Uncle BJ,' and then on Demeter, who was still looking at Munkustrap, no doubt hoping he would come join her.

Before he had a chance to point this out to his son, a cat crawled jauntily into the junkyard.

"Sorry I'm late," came the slightly obnoxious voice of Rum Tum Tugger, causing quite a stir among the small kittens. Ignoring this, for once, the new arrival settled himself next to Old Deuteronomy and whispered, "Sorry, Dad."

"Try and be here early next time, Tugster, alright?" Old D whispered back.

"You got it," 'Tugster' nodded, but Old D knew better than to trust his son's promises.


	2. The Jellicle Secret

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Everything was so positive that I decided to continue!! Hopefully this chapter, where you learn the secret, will live up to expectations._

_Disclaimer: See chapter one._

* * *

Old Deuteronomy stepped slowly out from his post between his two sons. He felt the eyes of every cat on him, waiting impatiently for him to enlighten them as to why their presence was mandatory. 

Old D chuckled.

"There's no need to look so tense," he waved a paw airily, causing a small laugh to circle around the cluster of cats. "Now, I suppose you all are wondering why you have been asked to make tonight's meeting a priority."

Ever cat seemed to straighten up, and Old D's whiskers twitched as Mistoffelees practically leapt out of his seat in anticipation. Bustopher Jones laid a paw on his nephew's shoulder, obviously trying to calm him down.

"I must admit that I am disappointed," Old Deuteronomy admitted, causing the attitude to change completely. "Every single meeting should be attended by every Jellicle, no matter what other plans you have made. This has been a tradition ever since my father took charge." Several of the cats shifted uncomfortably. Bombalurina and Rum Tum Tugger tried to hide behind their neighbors; they were absent from meetings the most.

"Nevertheless, I understand that times must change," Old Deuteronomy looked down at his paws, now very nervous. "It has been a long time since any cat has whispered about what was commonly known as the 'Jellicle Secret.'"

Now the cats were completely still with interest. Some of the older cats, like Jennyanydots and Skimbleshanks, knew exactly what Old D was referring to, but Mistoffelees and Victoria both looked completely lost.

"Some of you have no idea what I am talking about. Therefore, let me enlighten you before I explain." Old D cleared his throat with a little, "ahem," and continued.

"There has always been a rumor among Jellicles that the Jellicle leader has known something the others do not. This knowledge is not simply something that could be looked up in a human library or found by searching. It is something that only the current leader knows, something that directly affects every single Jellicle cat.

"This knowledge became known as the 'Jellicle Secret.' My father warned me to guard it well, and at the time I interpreted his warning as instruction to never tell anyone. But now, I fear, it is time for you all to know this secret."

Old D chanced a glance around the group again. Jennyanydots and Jellylorum, who obviously had known about the secret previously, were whispering excitedly together. Mistoffelees was looking at Skimbleshanks, obviously wanting to know if what Old D had told them was true. The four little kittens were, for once, silent. Their eyes were fixed unblinkingly on their leader, hanging onto his every word.

"This secret will enlighten you all to why I am so adamant in my views that every meeting should be attended by all. I only ask you to trust me when I tell you; for it can be quite a shock."

Indeed it could. Old D remembered refusing point blank to believe his father at first, guiltily under the impression that his father had gone loopy in old age.

"You all must attend every Jellicle meeting in future, because Jellicle cats are not, well, not _normal_," Old D emphasized the word, willing every cat to believe him. "We are not like ordinary house cats or stray cats who never learn of our meetings. By attending the Jellicle Ball, we submit ourselves to an unbreakable alliance of cats.

"Have none of you ever noticed how we meet at every full moon? That at every Jellicle Ball we praise the moon, singing, '_The Jellicle Moon is shining bright_,'? This is not merely some comment on celestial movement.

"I believe that you are all familiar with beings known as 'werewolves.'"

The crowd was not silently listening now. A shiver had run through the cats; Mistoffelees drew closer to his uncle and the four kittens huddled together in fear.

"I can see I am correct in that assumption," Old D nodded, casting a look at his two sons. Both of them were looking at him with concern.

"Please do not jump to conclusions," Old Deuteronomy implored the cats. "I can see now that you are thinking that I wish to protect you from these beings by forcing you to stay in the junkyard every full moon. This is not correct.

"The truth is that we are not so different from werewolves. No, we do not lose ourselves to a savage being, but at every full moon we do not remain ourselves. We change, in a way, to resemble humans. This is both a blessing to us, and a curse."

Now every cat looked disbelieving. They were looking at each other, as if trying to detect some shadow of a human in their eyes. Some were running their paws over their own bodies, feeling for physical changes. Most remained confused, but as Old D looked at Munkustrap, he saw his son clenching and un-clenching his paws, which now resembled hands. His eldest had discovered the truth.

"Look, if you will, at Munkustrap."

As one, the cats turned to look. Munkustrap seemed too immersed in his new discovery to have noticed this. He was still examining his paws, utterly bewildered as to why he had never noticed before. Not only were they elongated so he had fingers, but there was a strange opposable appendage on each as well. Did that mean he had thumbs?

As the cats watched Munkustrap, they seemed to realize that their leader was telling the truth. Most began examining their own paws, discovering that they too had been transformed.

As they continued exploring, the cats realized that they now had the basic anatomy of a human. They now had hands and feet and human-like limbs. Their faces were longer and attached differently to their necks. Their bodies were still covered in fur, but they now looked more like humans in extremely lifelike Halloween costumes than actual cats.

"But why didn't we notice before?" Mistoffelees piped up, still looking at his hands in wonder.

"Because you were not looking for it," Old Deuteronomy explained. "Many changes will go unnoticed because your attention is not focused intently on it. For instance, your tail could grow longer and you would not notice, because you were not paying attention.

"Your attention on each full moon has always been on each other. Our Jellicle meetings have kept you here, among your own kind, during this transformation. You have noticed nothing, because it has never been pointed out to you.

"Now I must move on to my main purpose in telling this to you."

The eyes of the cats, which no longer glowed in the darkness but simply twinkled like humans', turned away from their new bodies to look at their leader.

"Your transformation is extremely obvious to others not of our kind. Though you will not have noticed this either, each of you is now roughly the size of a human. Think of what would happen if one of us is walking down a street full of humans or other creatures during the transformation."

A gasp came from the four kittens. Old D noticed that their mouths were hanging open in shock and their eyes were wide.

"That would be terrible," Skimbleshanks whispered, his eyes still on his hands.

"But why do we change?" Munkustrap asked, looking at his father for answers. "Why do we change but other cats do not?"

"It is because of the Jellicle Ball," Old Deuteronomy explained kindly. "At the Jellicle Ball, we are separated from other cats by our ability to send a cat to the Heaviside Layer. Our Heaviside Layer is so similar to the human notion of 'Heaven,' that we are transformed into beings that resemble humans on the nights a Jellicle Ball may take place. This separates us from the other cats, but keeps us separated from humans at the same time."

"So, are we still cats?" Munkustrap continued, still confused. "I mean, are we talking in the human language now?"

"Of that I am not sure," Old D admitted. "I have never missed a Jellicle meeting, so I have never been around humans in this state. However, I have heard stories from the cats that have been absent from the meetings.

"All the stories prove that humans can see a difference in our form. Countless cats have been thrown out of the humans' houses, and others have endured beatings from frightened humans. The cats have also told me that everything seemed to shrink. This was, in reality, them growing to human size."

"So basically we all have to stay here for all the meetings from now on?" Rum Tum Tugger summed up, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Old Deuteronomy nodded. "I can't imagine what would happen if your humans discovered what happens to you on the full moon. Some of you could be killed or thrown out on the street. I don't want anything like this to happen, so it is for your own protection that I ask you to attend every Jellicle meeting in the future."

There were cries of, "Of course!" and "I'll be there!" Most of the cats still looked shocked and scared, but they all had, at least, accepted this new knowledge. Old Deuteronomy sighed, feeling relieved. He closed his eyes, now ready for a long sleep.

"Does anything like this happen to Pollicle dogs?" Munkustrap asked, making Old D's eyes fly open again.

"I don't believe so," he answered, blinking as his eyes adjusted back to the moonlight. "I have never seen a dog appear the way we do now."

"All right," Munkustrap seemed to be done with the inquiry, and he left his father to walk over to the tire, climb up inside it, and fall asleep.

"So, do you think we can communicate with humans?" Mistoffelees whispered to Bustopher Jones and Skimbleshanks.

"I dunno," Skimbleshanks shrugged. "I've been on the Express a few times during the full moon, but I've never actually talked to anyone."

"I think we should try it," Mistoffelees' lips were hardly moving, and Skimble and BJ had to bend in close to hear him.

"On your own head be it," BJ shook his head, showing disagreement, then continued, loudly. "I for one will never again be caught outside the junkyard on the full moon." He looked around at his fellow cats pompously, as if looking for someone who disagreed. No one spoke, not even Rum Tum Tugger, who could always be counted on for a witty remark.

Recognizing that he was not about to get an accomplice in either BJ or Skimble, Mistoffelees took his leave from the two toms and sidled over to where Rum Tum Tugger was sitting with Alonzo, Bombalurina, Demeter, and Etcetera.

"So is anyone else curious to find out if we can talk to humans?" was his greeting.

"Most definitely," Rum Tum Tugger nodded, looking around at his companions. "Anyone else?"

Alonzo and Bombalurina looked genuinely curious, but everyone knew that Etcetera was only agreeing to impress Tugger. Demeter cast a look over to where Munkustrap sat alone, obviously hesitant to agree.

"Munkustrap wouldn't agree," she whispered, but the others heard.

"Who cares about Munks?" Tugger asked, fluffing up his mane. "He'll do anything to get on Old D's good side."

"But if you go out at night to talk to humans, think about what could happen!" Demeter insisted. "Like Old Deuteronomy said, you could get attacked or even killed!"

"Only if we're careless," Bombalurina insisted. "Besides, if we can't, no worries. If we can, well, we'll have to find some trustworthy humans. I've always had some questions for them."

"But what if they find out what we really are?" Demeter's voice was practically a squeak by now. "I mean, I don't want to end up like any of the other cats that were out of the junkyard on the full moon!"

"Fine," Bombalurina crossed her arms and turned to face more of Tugger than Demeter. "Go run off with Munkustrap. We all know you want to."

Demeter's furry face turned beet red, but she remained where she was.

"Hey guys?" Alonzo waved, and everyone looked at him. "I think you're forgetting one extremely important fact about next month. It's October."

"Why is that important?" Etcetera looked confused.

"Because the full moon in October is on the Halloween! We'll be able to blend right in!" Alonzo looked extremely proud of himself.

"Yeah, but we can't all go parading around the human world," Mistoffelees insisted. "Won't Old D notice if, after we all promised not to leave, six of us are missing? That is," he cast a sideways glance at Demeter, who had tuned them out and was staring at Munks, "if we all still want to."

"Well, we'll take turns," Tugger shrugged. "Since it was your idea, Misto, you'll stay in the human world and find out."

"Okay," Misto agreed immediately.

"This is so exciting!" Etcetera exclaimed. "I'm gonna go tell my friends!" She made to scamper off to where Victoria, Jemima, and Electra were sitting, but Tugger grabbed her by the tail.

"No!" he whispered urgently. "You can't tell anyone!"

"Why not?" Etcetera asked, turning big puppy dog eyes onto him.

"Because we can't have everyone knowing! Especially not Munkustrap," Tugger cast a glance over at his older brother. "He'd tell Old D in a second. For now, let's keep it between the six of us." Like Bombalurina, he cast a glace at Demeter. "Well, five of us, technically."

"What'cha whispering about?"

The five cats started, and looked around to see Mungojerrie not an inch behind Tugger's ear. How they had failed to notice him, no one knew. Rumpleteazer was at his elbow, looking excited.

"Nothing," Tugger insisted. "We were just talking about–"

"How you're gonna sneak out every full moon to talk to people?" Mungojerrie prompted.

"Um, yeah," Tugger looked disappointed. "You heard all that?"

"Naturally," Mungojerrie shrugged and slid himself down next to Tugger, Rumpleteazer following. "And the way we see it, you'll be needing our help."

"What for?" Alonzo asked, looking skeptical.

"We know more about humans than you all put together," Rumpleteazer said. "'Jerrie and I have plenty of experience. You'll need to know how to act like a human before you can talk to them."

"But I live with humans," Tugger insisted, fingering his spiked collar. "I know plenty!"

"Fine" Mungojerrie shrugged dramatically. "Then what are sports?"

There was silence for a few seconds, then Tugger answered, "I don't know."

"Exactly." Mungojerrie smiled. "You need to know these sort of things if you're going to talk to humans. These are the kind of things that pop up in normal conversation. 'Teazer's right. You need our help."

"Okay, you're in," Misto agreed. "Just don't tell anyone else."

"Please, we're cat burglars," Rumpleteazer sat up in a very dignified position, a smirk playing about her lips. "We're pros at not telling."

* * *

_It'll get funnier, I promise. The story will basically become their adventures as part-humans. Hopefully this doesn't get too corny and lame._


End file.
